


Jarod Returns

by dairesfanficrefuge_archivist



Category: Profiler, The Pretender (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-09
Updated: 2001-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-18 06:18:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11868417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dairesfanficrefuge_archivist/pseuds/dairesfanficrefuge_archivist
Summary: Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived atDaire's Fanfic Refuge. Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onDaire's Fanfic Refuge's collection profile.





	Jarod Returns

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Daire's Fanfic Refuge](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Daire%27s_Fanfic_Refuge). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Daire's Fanfic Refuge's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/dairesfanficrefuge/profile).

Jarod Returns by KarenK

_Jarod Returns_

By KarenK 

A _Pretender/Profiler_ fanfic 

**Status:** unfinished 

**Webmistress's note:** Thanks to Wain for beta-reading this for me. 

* * *

**PART 1**

Agents Bailey Malone and John Grant of the VCTF burst into the room. Grant barely missed being hit by the bullet a young woman fired at him. 

"Drop the gun!" ordered Bailey as he and John kept their guns pointed at her. She lowered the gun, placing it on the floor in front of her, then straightening, she raised her hands That's when John noticed two boys behind her who looked terrified. 

"Assume the position!" ordered Malone. 

"Listen, I just . . . " she began as she turned to the wall and assumed the requested position. 

"You're under arrest," Malone said as he began to cuff her and read her her rights. 

"No!" the older boy screamed and lurched stiffly at Malone. 

John grabbed the teenager and held onto him as he struggled. A few minutes later, he stopped struggling and began to cry hysterically. 

"Mom!" he cried out as Malone led her out to the car. 

"It's okay, kid," John tried to soothe the boy. 

"No! She didn't do it!" he wailed and raced out after Malone. The kid grabbed Malone and started hitting him. 

"No! Jacob! Don't!" the woman yelled as she became more upset with each passing moment. She tried to take the boy into her arms to comfort him, obviously forgetting about the cuffs. "Jacob, it's all right. Shh, sweetheart, you'll be okay," she told the boy in a gentle tone. 

John collected the younger boy and saw to it that an agent stayed to let the coroner in before following Bailey with the two boys in his car. The woman was booked and led to an interrogation room as John brought the two boys to the VCTF control room. VCTF was otherwise known as Violent Crimes Task Force. He sat them down next to George Fraley, the resident computer genius. 

"George, this is . . . " he looked towards the older boy. 

"I'm Jacob Russell, and this is Christopher," he said in a resigned tone as if he were ready to give up. 

"Can I get you anything?" he asked Jacob, who seemed to be about sixteen. 

"My mom?" he asked looking up at John with such hope that his stomach took a nosedive. 

"Your mom needs to answer some questions," John replied. 

"She didn't do it. She was protecting us." He sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. 

George handed him a tissue, and he thanked him. "I'll do my best, kid. Do you have any family?" John asked. 

"My dad, but he travels a lot, and he has three brothers and a sister, but I don't know where my uncles are, and Aunt Emily is in the hospital. It's the same with my grandparents." Jacob seemed to get sadder with each sentence. 

Sam Waters, Rachel Burke, and Marcus Powell entered the VCTF control room. Blonde Sam was the team's profiler, and redheaded Rachel had joined about a year ago to train under Sam. Marcus had been undercover in the Connor O'Cahill mob when he'd first met John. John hadn't liked him, but it had more to do with his past history with the Connor O'Cahill mob than Marcus. It turned out that Marcus had been an undercover cop, and John learned to put aside his personal feelings about the O'Cahill mob, becoming good friends and partners with Marcus 

Grace Álvarez entered a few minutes later with Jason and Jordan, her two sons. John remembered Jason's birth because it wasn't every day a friend went into labor miles from town and end up giving birth in the coroner's van with Sam's help. 

The kid took out what seemed to be a photo and held it up to John. He took it and noticed a familiar face in the photo-a man named Jarod Doyle, who had been involved in a couple of the VCTF's cases, supposedly as an Atlanta detective. The man was an enigma; every search on him turned up nothing, as if Jarod Doyle had never existed. He handed the photo to George, who put it on his scanner and brought it up on the main view screen. 

"That's my dad, his brothers Kyle, Nicholas, and Ethan, and Aunt Emily. My dad's parents, Charles and Margaret." Jacob pointed out each member as he named them, except for himself and the chestnut-haired woman he'd called mom. 

"My mom's going to be okay, isn't she?" he asked. 

"She'll be fine," John said and placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. 

"Can you tell me what happened?" John asked quietly. 

"He came to kill us," he answered. 

"Why?" asked Marcus. 

"Because of Dad. He's helped a lot of people but in the process, he stepped on the toes of a group called the Center. They want dad bad, and they'll use us to get him. We keep moving to stay ahead of them, but sometimes they catch up with us. Dad tries to work while staying one step ahead of them, but it isn't easy," he explained. 

"Are you hungry?" Grace asked as she rooted around in her purse and came up with a couple of candy bars. When she tried to hand one to Christopher, he whimpered and hid behind Jacob. He opened a candy bar and handed it to Christopher before beginning to devour his own. 

"This child is starving,' said Grace in a maternal tone. Jacob reddened as he realized all eyes were on him. 

"Why don't I see about getting you guys a meal?" John said. 

He frowned as he looked at the way Jacob's clothes hung on him as if he were underfed. His mother, during the brief time they'd been together, seemed like the type to give up everything for her children. The shadows under his eyes were further proof of the hell the boy must have lived in. 

"I'll check on your mother before I take you to the cafeteria for something to eat.' 

He left Grace fussing over the boys as he headed to the interrogation room. He found Bailey in the observation room. 

"Bailey?" he asked. 

"She says he went after the boys and she had no choice but to kill him. I don't believe her story, but I also don't believe she's a murderer," Malone responded. 

"Better yet, the boys Jacob and Christopher Russell are the sons of an old friend of ours." 

Bailey gave him a puzzled look. 

"Remember Jarod?" was all John said, and he saw the recognition in Bailey's eyes. 

"They're Jarod Doyle's sons? Is she Jarod's wife?" asked a stunned Malone. 

"I don't know, but apparently the whole family seems to be on the run from a group called the Center. It seems Jarod got on their bad side by exposing their crimes." 

"No wonder he understood Sam so well. What about the boys?" Malone asked. 

"He says his mom was just protecting them. Bailey, Jacob's absolutely terrified to the point where he's barely eating and has huge shadows under his eyes. I think maybe we should forget about children's services, and put them under protective custody." 

Bailey looked at Grant with amusement. He knew Grant always tried to come off as a tough guy, but the truth was he was a soft touch for a sad story. 

"I presume that this is a request to be the one in charge of the aforementioned protective custody?" Bailey said, trying to hide a grin. 

John started to protest, but Malone held up a hand to silence him. "They're yours until further notice," responded Bailey. 

"I was going to take them to the cafeteria for dinner," replied John. 

"Maybe I was wrong in letting you have custody of them if you're going to threaten their health with food from the cafeteria," joked Malone. 

"All right, I'll pick up something on the way to my place. Is it possible to get them some clothes from their hotel room?" John asked. 

"I'll get Thompson over there to pick up their things while he looks around. Tell them we'll be keeping his mom overnight but we'll probably release her in the morning," said Malone. 

"I'm sure they'll be grateful for that, Bailey." John left and headed back to the control room. 

He explained to the boys that their mother would probably be released in the morning, but until then they would stay with him. By the time they had gotten to John's apartment, Christopher had fallen asleep, and John showed Jacob where the bedroom was. After putting Christopher to bed, Jacob joined John in the living room. Jacob had actually relaxed and begun to smile at John's teasing. They ate, but it wasn't long before John noticed that Jacob was struggling to take bites of his hamburger. Finally Jacob started to teeter forward, and John caught the sleeping boy before he fell off the couch. 

The poor kid had been exhausted by unknown fears of what waited in the shadows. John wondered how he'd managed to survive like this, and he knew that Jarod had to hate every minute that his family lived like this-in fear. He remembered the toll that the serial killer Jack-Of-All-Trades had taken on Sam, her daughter Chloe, and her friend Angel, not to mention the VCTF members, when he'd been stalking Sam. 

He carried the boy to the bedroom and took off his sneakers before tucking him in. As he started to turn away, the boy's head began to toss and turn on the pillow in the throes of a nightmare. No wonder the poor kid didn't want to go to sleep if every time he did, a faceless bogeyman scared the living hell out of him in his dreams. John sat on the edge of the bed and soothed the boy as he stroked his hair, and soon the Jacob calmed and fell into a deep sleep. After making sure that he'd stay asleep, John stood and stretched to loosen the tight muscles in his back. He grabbed some pajamas from his dresser and went to shower and change. The whole time, his mind refused to let go of Jacob. 

John remembered how his mom had grabbed him and run from his dad, even changing their names to stay hidden from his violent father, who would probably kill them both if he ever caught them. John had known what it was to live terrified and be looking over your shoulder waiting for the boom to fall while everyone else your age was having a grand time, as normal teenagers were supposed to. He knew a kindred soul when he saw one, and he intended on saving Jacob and Christopher from what he'd gone through. 

* * *

Jarod Russell arrived at the hotel where he'd left Karen and the boys to find yellow police tape across the door to their room. He tore off the tape and forced the door open before entering and searching in vain for Karen and the boys. He grew frantic at the sight of a body outline with a puddle of blood in it where the heart would be. 

"What are you doing in here?" complained the hotel clerk. 

"The woman and two boys that rented this room, where are they?" he demanded as he tried to get his heart to restart. 

"Woman's been arrested for shooting some guy. The FBI took her and the boys away late last night," replied the clerk. 

"Where? Who?" he asked, frantic, as he grabbed the man's shirt. 

"Easy, son. I've got a guard here somewhere," the clerk said as he rooted through his pockets. He pulled out a battered card. "Yeah, here it is." 

Jarod grabbed the card from him and read the name Bailey Malone. 

"Bailey's got my family. The VCTF has got my family," he said as he began to breathe again. He knew that Malone would do his best to protect his family from anyone who would try to hurt them. He'd been terrified that the Center had stolen them or had killed them, which was Jarod's worst nightmare. 

Jarod left in a hurry as he threw a thank you over his shoulder to the clerk. 

* * *

"Sir?" Malone heard one of the secretaries say, and he looked up to see the man he knew to be Detective Jarod Doyle of the Atlanta P.D. shrug off the woman as he headed for Malone. 

"Where is my family, Malone?" he asked impatiently. 

"They're safe," Bailey responded. 

"They're never safe, just okay for short periods of time until they have to move again," said Jarod angrily. 

Malone was about to respond when John entered with Jacob and Christopher. The boys raced straight to Jarod and threw their arms around him. Jarod pulled away gently and crouched down to look the boys over as if he was worried that they were hurt in some way. 

"Dad, you've got to help mom! They sent a sweeper to kidnap us and . . . " the boy frantically explained. 

"Whoa, sport, take it easy," replied Jarod. "I'll do my best to get your mom out of this but in meantime, I'll take you to your grandparents and she can join us later," said Jarod. 

"No way! I'm not leaving mom!" Jacob said. 

"Jacob, don't argue," ordered Jarod. 

"Then don't make me leave! Russell men take care of their families. They don't desert them when they're needed the most!" Jacob yelled at Jarod and ran off down the corridor. 

"Jacob?" Jarod called after him. 

"He's all right. He just needs some time," Malone said as he put a restraining arm on Jarod. 

"He's my family, Malone, and no one can be trusted, because the Center has people everywhere," Jarod snarled before taking off after Jacob. 

Jacob burst into the room where Karen was talking with Rachel and Sam as Marcus looked on. 

"Mom! Don't let him take me!" the panicked boy gasped. 

Karen stood and placed Jacob behind her to protect him from whoever was racing towards the interrogation room. She gasped in surprise as Jarod burst through the door. 

"Jarod!" she exclaimed and raced towards him. She let Jarod fold her in his arms. "I thought you'd never come." She tried hard not to cry, but some tears did slip out. 

"It's all right. Everything is going to be fine. I'll get you and the boys out of here and to my parents," answered Jarod. 

"And then what?" Karen asked. 

"What do you mean?" Jarod asked in puzzlement. 

"I'm getting tired of moving every six months, Jarod. We have to do something about these people. Don't you think it's a bit obsessive compulsive to keep tracking a guy after five years? Will they ever give up, or are we doomed to be running forever? They are the criminals, yet we're being treated as if we are the criminals," Karen complained. 

"I know you're tired. I know my whole family is tired, and if there was something I could do to end it today, I would. I'm doing my best, but there isn't a quick fix for the Center," he answered, sounding extremely depressed. 

"Jarod?" He turned and saw Sam Waters looking at him with a worried expression. 

"Sam, it's good to see you again," said Jarod in an embarrassed tone. 

"You disappeared on me the last time and didn't give me a chance to give you what George had found for you," Sam replied. 

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I had to go. I didn't have a chance to say any good-byes," he answered in an apologetic tone. 

"It's all right. From what your son has told us, you have to keep moving. I know what that's like, thanks to Jack," she replied quietly. 

"Yes, I heard you'd finally gotten him. I guess that means your life is your own again, and it gives me hope that one day mine might be as well," Jarod spoke with such grief that Sam could feel her heart ache. 

"If there is anything I can do . . . " she began. 

"And I'm sure the VCTF can help as well," said Fraley. 

"Thanks, George," Jarod said with a small smile of gratitude. 

"Jacob, let's go," Jarod ordered the boy, but he stubbornly shook his head and hung onto his mother. 

She knelt by the boy. "Jake, you go with him, and I'll hook up with you guys later," she told him reassuringly. 

"I can't leave you to . . . " he began. 

"I can handle it and be there sooner if I don't have to worry about you guys. The sooner your dad gets you to your grandparents, the sooner he can get back and help me," 

The teenager was about to protest, and she laid a finger on his lips to silence him. 

"If he has to worry about you, then he won't be able to give me a hundred percent. Let him take you to safety, and then I'll follow." 

The boy nodded and turned towards Jarod with a look that said he wasn't happy about it but he'd obey. Jarod turned back and gave a look to Karen that Sam couldn't decipher. She returned the look, and that seemed to satisfy Jarod that she'd be fine until he returned. 

Jarod led the boy back to the control room and picked up Christopher along with their backpacks. Jacob grabbed a teddy bear that looked the worse for wear from where it had fallen and held the bear tightly to his chest as he left with his father. 

"That poor kid," George murmured, and Grant completely agreed with him. The brief time he'd spent with Jacob and Christopher had proven the boys were intelligent and friendly but frightened. He could only imagine what they'd be like if they hadn't been living under that cloud they'd spent years trying to escape. 

* * *

Bailey and Sam walked Jarod and the boys to the car. As they turned to go back into the building, an explosion rocked them off their feet. Bailey and Sam turned back in horror and saw that the car that Jarod had gotten into was now a burning chunk of metal. Sam vaguely heard Bailey on the phone calling for the fire department, but she was too numbed by what she'd just witnessed to do more then stand and stare. 

Bailey called the control room and told John what had happened and to check on Karen. Before hanging up, John promised he'd take personal care concerning her safety. He told the others in the control room what had occurred and headed towards the interrogation room. Rachel and Karen were talking, and John had to take a deep breath before entering the room. Karen saw him and stood with a look that seemed to say she already knew what he was going to say. John explained to her and Rachel what had happened. 

Shock crossed Karen's face, and she seemed to be struggling to breathe as she slowly sank to her knees. She gave a keening wail that froze Grant's blood, and he drew her into his arms trying to soothe her as she rocked back and forth in his arms, seemingly unaware of his attempt to comfort her. 

* * *

Kyle jerked awake due to a nightmare. He wasn't sure why this dream had chilled him more than the others, but there was one word on his lips, Jarod. He got up quickly and regretted it; at a slower pace, he reached for his jeans and slid them on, and then his shirt followed. He tried leaning down for his shoes and found himself with a problem. He had to lean down to get his shoes and yet every time he did, the pain was so bad he nearly blacked out. 

"What the hell do you think your doing?" demanded his sister Emily as she entered the room and saw him trying to grab his shoes. 

"Jarod needs me," Kyle said. 

"Lay back down," she ordered. 

Kyle gave her a look of defiance, and she placed her hands on her hips. 

"Don't push me, boy. I may just be out of the hospital myself, but I'm sure I can kick your butt," she threatened. 

Kyle smiled at the thought that delicate Emily could do anything to harm him, but he sat back as told. 

"Jarod's in trouble. I can feel it." 

Emily sighed. "Big brother is the one person I can trust to take care of himself, but maybe Ethan . . . " she started. 

"Ethan would be eaten alive," Kyle complained. 

"Ethan has grown and just might surprise you, big brother." She yanked his jeans down off his legs. 

"I'm keeping these until further notice," she informed him before going over to the closet. "And these." She promptly removed every pair of pants Kyle owned and started to head for the door. Kyle began to protest, but a look from Emily silenced him. 

* * *

"Bailey," George said as he noticed the two men speaking to an agent in the hallway. "Nicholas and Ethan," murmured George. "I don't blame them for wanting to find out what happened to their brother.' 

Nicholas was a tall, good-looking young man in his early twenties with light brown hair. Next to him stood Ethan, perhaps a few years younger than Nicholas and darker as well. His hair was black, and he had brown eyes that seemed to see more then anyone else's could. 

"Mr. Russell?" Bailey greeted Nicholas. 

"We're here to get information on the Jacob Russell bombing," said Nicholas. 

"What happened to my brother?" Ethan asked, and Bailey realized there was more to the young man than the angelic face he put forth. 

Bailey filled Nicholas and Ethan in on what had occurred and then led them to the interrogation room where Karen was. Karen rocked in the corner of the room as Grant sat on the edge of the table. He shrugged his shoulders at Bailey as he entered with Nicholas and Ethan. Nicholas placed a hand on her shoulder, and she let out an ear-piercing shriek. Ethan moved Nicholas aside and drew her into his arms as he crooned to her softly. 

"What happened to her?" Nicholas demanded. 

"I told her about Jarod and the boys," answered John. Nicholas tensed and said nothing further but instead turned to Ethan, who was still comforting Karen. 

"I assume we can take her home?" he asked in a tone that let Bailey and John know that he intended on leaving with or without their permission. 

"I fast forwarded the paperwork before the explosion. It's finished, and she is allowed to leave," Bailey said apologetically. Ethan helped Karen to her feet and led her out of the room, leaving Nicholas to take care of the rest. 

After they left the VCTF, they headed toward their hotel room. They exchanged worried glances at her pale, silent form. When they arrived, they led her to the room they booked for her next to theirs. Ethan opened the door, but Karen stopped him before he entered. 

"I would really like to be just left alone for a while," she said quietly. 

"If you need us, we're next door," was all he said before handing her her key. She nodded and closed the door behind her; as she headed towards the bed she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Before she could turn and see what it was, a hand wrapped around her mouth and another wrapped around her waist. She took a breath in fear and got set to defend herself when a voice whispered in her ear. 

"Irish." She knew that voice; she knew it well. As the hand was taken away from her mouth she trembled. 

"Jarod?" she gasped. Swinging around, she came face to face with Jarod. He smiled, and she threw her arms around him and kissed him. Suddenly she drew back. 

"I'm sorry," she murmured. 

"I'm not," he responded and drew her into his arms before kissing her passionately. 

"Jarod, the boys?" she asked. 

"With my parents," he murmured as he began to kiss down the side of her face and then down her neck. 

Jarod and the boys were safe, and that relieved her, but what Jarod was currently doing was causing a knot in her stomach, and it began to radiate downward as heat spread through her body. Her legs hit the bed and she fell back, allowing Jarod to land on top of her, and gave into the oblivion that his caresses offered. 

* * *

Karen rolled over and her hand found the bed empty. 

"Jarod?" she sat up quickly, fearful that she'd dreamed last night. Jarod exited the bathroom and rushed over to her, sitting down beside her. He was damp as if he was fresh out of the shower. 

"It's all right. I'm here." He drew her into his arms and kissed her forehead. For a moment, he was tempted to kiss her more but he knew things needed to be tended to, so he sat back, allowing himself breathing space. 

"I thought last night was a dream," she answered with a relieved sigh. 

"I hope it was a happy dream," Jarod teased. 

"Yes, but almost a nightmare. There's nothing worse than to want something you can't have," she answered quietly. 

He took her face in his hands. "Don't worry. I won't leave," he responded. 

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she said and got up and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her before he could reach the door. Jarod decided to allow her time and returned to the chair next to the bed to dress and make some calls before he checked on her. 

* * *

John stood and stretched as he worked his neck, trying to ease the muscles. He had sifted repeatedly through the evidence concerning the explosion and had yet to find anything of value. 

"Agent Malone?" Grant turned and faced the man who approached him, a tall, good-looking man of about thirty. 

"I'm Lyle Parker, and I'm looking for Agent Malone about the Jarod Russell case," he explained. 

"Jarod Russell is dead and so far, the case hasn't given up any clues that would help solve it. John Grant,q by the way," he introduced himself. 

"Where is Agent Malone?" asked Lyle. 

"Malone is in the field, but I'm heading up the Russell case," answered John. He didn't like the vibe this guy gave him. He'd busted guys on both the Atlanta PD and the FBI that had given him better vibes. Just then, John blinked because he could have sworn he'd seen Jarod approaching the control room before giving a look of surprise and ducking off to the side. 

"Look, Mr. Parker . . . I don't have time for this. I have to find out who blew this guy to kingdom come. If you want to wait for Malone, do it in the waiting room. If you'd like to leave and return when Malone gets back or maybe make an appointment with him, all the better." 

John didn't like him and enjoyed giving him the bum's rush out the door and then headed towards the corridor he'd seen Jarod duck into. He came to the first door and, opening it, entered the locker room. He was grabbed and slammed up against the wall by Jarod. 

"What did you tell him about me?" Jarod hissed at him. 

"Nothing!" said John angrily as he tried to extract himeslf from Jarod's frantic grasp. Jarod released him with a look of distaste before turning his back on Grant in an ttempt to recover. "What's this Parker guy about?" 

"My death. He wants me dead more then he wants even to live," Jarod answered. 

"I take it you screwed with him the way you did with us." 

"Lyle works for people who screwed with me first. Lyle himself personally shot my brother in the back. He threw my sister out a window. He has kidnapped and abused just about every member of my family he could get his hands on. I had a relationship with a girl named Zoey and Lyle kidnapped and threatened to kill her. When I first worked with them I thought I was helping people. It wasn't until later I found out what they were up to. 

"Lyle used my idea on how to protect a witness to kidnap them. In the process, he killed a U.S. Marshall and father of two; and the woman he kidnapped was almost turned over to the people Lyle sold out to. The very people who she was to testify against. Unfortunately for Lyle, I was able to rescue her in time. The Yakauzi didn't like that and chopped off a thumb. 

"My family lives in fear and constant movement because of Lyle and his bosses. They didn't want to help anyone but themselves and when I wanted to quit they wouldn't let me. I had to escape, unfortunately for me they have tentacles everywhere. They can make anything go away or appear real. Lyle himself has supposedly died twice; the first death he murdered his friend and set it up to look as if his father had killed him. The police thought Lyle murdered by his father and Lyle's friend had taken off. 

"They never realized the body they ID'd as Lyle wasn't and the man still sits behind bars because I haven't been able to prove beyond a doubt that Lyle is who I say he is," explained Jarod. 

"So you hide but you can't stop yourself from helping others, and at the same time chancing that Lyle might find and kill you, or worse." 

"My family comes first Agent Grant, but there are those out there that have no one to help them but me. Maybe it's wrong or a fool's errand but I have to do it." 

"So we get Bailey to tell Lyle your dead," offered John. 

"I don't know if even that will do any good," Jarod said as he sagged down onto a bench and ran a hand over his tired face. He fingercombed his hair again and rubbed his neck as he tried to think but he was too tired. 

"Maybe we should get you somewhere you can get some sleep before we do anything else." 

Jarod was about to protest that he wasn't tired but a huge yawn escaped and he knew it would be useless to argue. John helped him leave the bureau and hopefully Lyle and goons behind. 

Grant closed the door to his bedroom a short time later. Jarod had pretty much fallen asleep the minute he layed down on John's bed. He had told Grant in no uncertain terms he would just rest for a short time but John got the feeling he was going to be out for the night. Sitting in a chair, he grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels, not really trying to find something to watch but too agitated to try to sleep. His body had other ideas as the day's activities caught up with him and he drifted off to sleep. John had nightmares that haunted him and made him relive the time he and his mother had lived in fear because of his father. 

  
JOhn jerked awake and looked at his watch noting it was already six in the morning. He thought about trying to get back to sleep but a noise from the bedroom caught his attention. John stood and headed for the bedroom to see if Jarod was all right. Opening the door, he saw Jarod tossing and turning violently on the bed in the throes of a kind of nightmare that John was glad he'd never experienced. God only knew what kind if memories could produce such a violent reaction. To John's knowledge, he was capable and wasn't easily shaken, but something or some demon was chasing him in his dreams to the point where John feared Jarod's heart would explode from fear. He came around to the side of the bed and reached out to shake Jarod's shoulder only to find himself flat on his back with Jarod straddling him. 

"Hey! Friend, not foe!" yelled Grant, feeling his own heart speed up in fear. 

* * *

© 2001   
Please send comments to the author!   
Added to 01/08/02, 02/21/02 

08/09/2001 

* * *


End file.
